A time
for solitude
and introspection
To continue blogging or not – that is the question

I’m drawn to a memory of long ago

Singing
and playing beside a stream
Surrounded by forest – a safe place to dream

It’s clear that life has changed me since those innocent days

I feel
such deep sadness now – a sense of hope lost
The price of what colonials see as “progress” – a burdensome cost

The forested sanctuary of my childhood gone – now a suburban development

Crafting blog posts
though an important expression
Deflects me from my work to describe the roots of continuing oppression

Perhaps I need to grow silent for a while to be able to look for peace and hope within

***

This is the second anniversary for my blog. It was created on February 12, 2014. Today, I face an important decision point.

So many things have changed since I began. Many members of the original blogging community who greeted me have gone on to other things. And my life has changed as well. Thanks in large measure to the blogging community, I have found my voice and the courage and persistence to begin a project I dreamed of when I worked too many hours during my many careers.

I’ve begun working on a book about Ojibwe child welfare survival stories. Finally, I know how this book will end even though I’m only half-way through. And I’m eager to finish. I have tried to blog and write at the same time, but there are just not enough hours in the day to do justice to either.

I haven’t been able to visit other blogs recently. I miss the beauty and knowledge your work brings into my life and the comforting sense of community. So I’ve decided to let my blogging voice be silent for a while so I can finish this book. It will give me more time to visit your blogs, too.

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Published by Carol A. Hand

What matters are not the titles I’ve held or university degrees I earned
or the size of a house or bank account. It’s really what I’ve learned
from ordinary people like me whom I’ve met along the way.
They taught me to live with gratitude and give thanks for each new day.
View all posts by Carol A. Hand

I’ve been faced with the same dilemma of trying to blog while writing a book. My book has also taken precedence. In creating balance in our lives, we can only do so much and trying to achieve everything takes a toll either on the quality of our work or our personal lives. I believe that there is value in wherever our writing takes us my friend. So good luck with you book…and keep warm.

Dear Joan, thank you for sharing such important insights about the challenges of balancing responsibilities. I appreciate your kind words and look forward to hearing more about the book you writing. I send my best wishes ❤

Carol- We bloggers are a dime a dozen but writers with a purpose whose craft can literally make history are a very small group. I, and I’m sure many others, will miss your insights, but you have ‘promises to keep and miles to go before you sleep.’ Work hard, write well and publish soon! -ron

Carol, I’ve been in awe and also unable to understand how you could work on the book while blogging every day and responding with such generosity to all the comments. Every day you are silent, I will feel happy for you, for the people whose voices are being amplified so others can hear them at last, and for your future readers.

For selfish reasons I really did not want to hit “like”, and for even further selfish reasons please send a link for the purchase of your book when it is done.
I will miss what you have to say, but happy writing to you.
Blessings Belinda

While I will miss your blogging voice, I am eager to hear your longer reflections as well. Thanks for being the voice for those who can’t speak for themselves. Best wishes for the wholehearted focus on your book!-Heidi

Thank you for your thoughtful comments, Cindy. I’m grateful to you for your kindness and support throughout my blogging adventure, and for bringing so much beauty into my life with your always-exquisite photographs.

I think many of us come to these places and often more than once. We have to trust our instincts and honor our journeys. I wish you the very best with your book, Carol. It’s important. The blogging community morphs, but will be here when your path leads you back. ❤

Dear Sojourner, I will miss our dialogues, but hopefully, I will have more time to read your posts and comment some time soon. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but I’ve already made progress on writing that I wouldn’t have been able to do had I still been blogging. I send my best wishes to you ❤

returning your blessing a thousand fold….I so love your words and will miss them, very much, you provide me with perspective in my own life struggles. Good luck with the book..not that your spirit needs any luck. I look forward to your resuming the blogging I love so much….may your God go with you. xxx

Dear Pat, I’m so grateful we met as two technophobes in blogging 101. You’ve brought kindness and laughter into my life along with wonderful stories about what matters while we’re here. I send you my best wishes to you and look forward to reading your future posts.

You will be missed, but I understand. Blogging does take a lot of time. I wish you the best of luck with your book. It has been a delight and pleasure knowing you and hope that you bring your voice back to the blog some day. Love and hugs, Natalie 🙂 ❤

Dear Carol, I simply add my congratulations to those already expressed by your blogging community, for your significant blogging accomplishments and vision for your important book . You have had a tremendous impact on us already, challenging us to think about issues that some of us have not confronted with that intensity, or at all, in our own lives! I too wish you every blessing as you pursue your calling! I look forward to your future reports of “fait accompli,” and/or new directions you find in your quest. God bless you.

Dear Bernadette, It’s been such a pleasure to see all of the creative projects you’ve begun the the way you bring people together around important issues. I’m grateful to you for your always kind and supportive comments and look forward to reading more of you posts. I send my best wishes ❤

Carol, I’ll miss your voice, but I certainly understand. Blogging takes time and energy. Good luck in all that you do, and be sure to share your voice when you get the urge. I believe your heart will lead your way.

Thank you for such kind and lovely comments, Jim. Someday, when I’m done with this project, I plan to read your book. I have always enjoyed reading your uplifting and inspiring posts. I send my best wishes to you.

Best of luck with your writings, Carol, and congratulations on your blogging anniversary! I will miss your ‘voice’! I know you will be back as soon as your project is finished to share it with all of us.
Best wishes!
Inese

It is a good feeling to know you have come to a cross roads and are able to listen to your heart tell you which road to take, as you have done. It takes courage and wisdom. Speaking from recent experience, although blogging does give purpose and encouragement to writers, and so often gives us the confidence we need to delve further into our writing, it’s also important to know when to focus our energies. Enjoy your new path, Carol, and happy writing! All the best, Melissa

Thank you for your thoughtful and encouraging comments, Melissa. Blogging has brought me many gifts, including the chance to learn from gifted writers and artists. I count you among those who have taught me a great deal. I send my best wishes to you, too 🙂

Best of luck with your book, Carol. We travel on paths that lead us to places we did not know of ahead of time. In a way, I traveled a path in the opposite direction, having written a book and then deciding to blog, motivated in part to draw attention to myself as I struggled to find a publisher. But blogging quickly became an activity in itself, and I continue to marvel at the warm community I have found. I’ll look forward to reading your voice again, and until then may your path to publication be short.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments, Pete. I’m glad to know that you did find a publisher, and I do look forward to reading your work when I’m finished. Your blog posts always cover crucial topics and are so elegantly argued.

Writing at this point is a tedious process for me some days, but chapter 33 is done and 34 is outlined. I hope to have a rough draft finished by planting time. Focusing on the book alone when I write has helped me remain focused, but I do miss interacting with the blogging community. On a positive note, though, I now have time to read more blogs when I take a break, and your is one I look forward to. 🙂

Hello, Carol. It’s been tremendously hard for me to step away from blogging to focus on school, work and family. Not necessarily in that order. Your voice has reached so many in such a short time, your book will read so many more. It is a privilege to get to know you through our respective blogs.The great thing about blogging about social justice issues is there is never a dearth in material. As long as this country is controlled by a ruling class who puts profits over people, voices like yours and our fellow bloggers will always be needed in the wilderness. I am excited for what the future holds in store for you and me both. .My best to you and your family. Someday, we will find our home and we will finally be able to rest. Peace and solidarity to you, my friend and fellow traveler.

It’s such a gift to hear from you, Jeff. I do miss your presence here (and mine at the moment). It is hard to step away from blogging, although to be honest, I still write posts most days. They remain in a new file, unposted. It helps me focus on my daily discipline…

I trust all is well with your work, school, family and life. I look forward to hearing from you when you have time. And I am excited, too, about the chance to see what the future holds for both of us.